Mountain bikers plan ride to protest Mission Trails closures

The City of San Diego closed trails in the East Elliot section of Mission Trails Regional Park.

San Diego mountain bikers are planning a mass ride January 11 to raise awareness of recent closures by city park officials of the East Elliot trail system north of Mission Trails Regional Park.

The trails, north across Route 52 from the main portion of the park, were closed by the City of San Diego in response to concerns by federal and state wildlife officials that use of the unauthorized trail network was causing damage to the local ecosystem. The trails system, which includes Spring and Oak canyons, is popular among mountain bikers, hikers and equestrians.

“The purpose of the ride is to make the public aware of the trail closures that are taking place around San Diego County, and to educate them on the details of what we know to date,” said mountain biker Doug Johnson, one of the organizers of the mass ride. “We also want to encourage our elected officials and city representatives to work with the cycling community to provide the type of trails and skill parks needed. We would like the public’s support in putting pressure on city and state officials to act now, rather then 10 or 20 years from now.”

The bikers plan to start their ride at the Mission Trails Park information center, go down the street past the Old Mission Dam, and loop around through the grasslands and back to the information center. The group will begin preparations at 9 a.m. and start the “parade” at 10 a.m. The event will wrap up around 1 p.m. Johnson said it’s difficult to predict the turn out, but he estimated that at least 400 people will participate. All trail users are welcome to participate, including mountain bikers, trail runners and BMXers, according to the organizers.

San Diego City park officials have closed a popular network of trails in Mission Trails Regional Park.

The trail closures came after a US Fish and Wildlife Services (USFW) and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) site visit in June 2013, which revealed a considerable amount of unauthorized building and use of trails that impact highly sensitive and endangered species. The visit by the wildlife officials was part of the city’s ongoing process of establishing a management plan for the park, which is required by law and a prerequisite for the inclusion of the East Elliot area into Mission Trails park.

In an August letter sent to the city by wildlife officials after the visit, they said the city should close the unauthorized trails until a plan was developed to “successfully restore” them and the city provides enough staffing to monitor the trails and enforce the regulation.

In response to the wildlife agencies’ concerns, city park officials installed signs indicating that biking on the trails is prohibited and roping off popular trail heads. The city’s stance is that they aren’t closing the trails because they trails were constructed illegally and therefore never open in the first place.

“As with any other acts of vandalism in parks, the response is to restore the damaged assets,” park officials wrote in a statement posted on the park website. “In this case, restoration requires the re-establishment of native vegetation, which in turn requires the cessation of impacts caused by repeated use. There is a process in place to create legitimate trails and that process is underway via an update to the Mission Trails Regional Park Plan. This update would incorporate the East Elliott area into Mission Trails Regional Park and revise the entire Trails Plan for the park.”

Park officials say they are working on a management plan for the area and on establishing wildlife and plant friendly trails in the area, but the mountain bikers say the park service needs to pay more heed to the recreational uses of the area.

The San Diego Mountain Biking Association (SDMBA) has had several meetings with park officials regarding the trail closures, but have been unable to dissuade them from the blanket closure of the East Elliot trails. A statement on the SDMBA website says the biker’s association “adamantly opposes the current plan to close off all recreational access to trails.”

“We will work diligently with the City and the Wildlife Agencies to support a better alternative plan,” the statement says. “Trail closures rarely work as intended, often resulting in negative consequences such as unauthorized trail building and use in previously unaffected areas.”

Robert Craddick, a San Diego resident whose been riding in the area for seven years, said the East Elliot trails provide a “wonderful mid-level mountain biking challenge and good area to practice for cross country racing.”

“The trails give riders, runners, and hikers what we want,” he said, “being a minimal impacting small single-track trail and ability to be out in what feels like nature versus a park pathway or dirt road. The area felt free and open to explore except for the last couple years when Miramar signage went up and now trail closed signs. The abrupt nature of closures feels an imposition.”

10 comments

Geoffrey Smith knows exactly what he is talking about. Mountain biking is the most destructive activity allowed in any park.

Bicycles should not be allowed in any natural area. They are inanimate objects and have no rights. There is also no right to mountain bike. That was settled in federal court in 1996: http://mjvande.nfshost.com/mtb10.htm . It’s dishonest of mountain bikers to say that they don’t have access to trails closed to bikes. They have EXACTLY the same access as everyone else — ON FOOT! Why isn’t that good enough for mountain bikers? They are all capable of walking….

A favorite myth of mountain bikers is that mountain biking is no more harmful to wildlife, people, and the environment than hiking, and that science supports that view. Of course, it’s not true. To settle the matter once and for all, I read all of the research they cited, and wrote a review of the research on mountain biking impacts (see http://mjvande.nfshost.com/scb7.htm ). I found that of the seven studies they cited, (1) all were written by mountain bikers, and (2) in every case, the authors misinterpreted their own data, in order to come to the conclusion that they favored. They also studiously avoided mentioning another scientific study (Wisdom et al) which did not favor mountain biking, and came to the opposite conclusions.

Those were all experimental studies. Two other studies (by White et al and by Jeff Marion) used a survey design, which is inherently incapable of answering that question (comparing hiking with mountain biking). I only mention them because mountain bikers often cite them, but scientifically, they are worthless.

Mountain biking accelerates erosion, creates V-shaped ruts, kills small animals and plants on and next to the trail, drives wildlife and other trail users out of the area, and, worst of all, teaches kids that the rough treatment of nature is okay (it’s NOT!). What’s good about THAT?

The common thread among those who want more recreation in our parks is total ignorance about and disinterest in the wildlife whose homes these parks are. Yes, if humans are the only beings that matter, it is simply a conflict among humans (but even then, allowing bikes on trails harms the MAJORITY of park users — hikers and equestrians — who can no longer safely and peacefully enjoy their parks).

The parks aren’t gymnasiums or racetracks or even human playgrounds. They are WILDLIFE HABITAT, which is precisely why they are attractive to humans. Activities such as mountain biking, that destroy habitat, violate the charter of the parks.

Even kayaking and rafting, which give humans access to the entirety of a water body, prevent the wildlife that live there from making full use of their habitat, and should not be allowed. Of course those who think that only humans matter won’t understand what I am talking about — an indication of the sad state of our culture and educational system.

‘Geoffrey Smith knows exactly what he is talking about. Mountain biking is the most destructive activity allowed in any park.”
Wrong.
The roads you use to get to the parks, beaches, home and work are the most habitat destructive activity done by humans, short of the house farm you live in (the impetus for the above-mentioned agreements), and war (the military base in the map doing its part).

All of that area is criss-crossed with fire break roads, Marine Jeep roads, General Electric test areas roads, power line roads, and PARK ACCESS roads. “After all, it’s not the beer cans that are ugly; it’s the highway that is ugly.” – Edward Abbey

Oh, and Kumeyaay, burned all of So Cal regularly, for thousands of years. The “natural habitat” you see is nothing of the kind.
Not to mention the (non-native) equines polluting the trails and waterways with massive feces.

The state and federal wildlife agencies have a mandate to manage such resources for the protection of plant and animal species, many of which have been severely impacted by growth pressures throughout the region. Many of the open spaces we enjoy as a human species were established as conditions of development, through such programs as the MSCP, MHCP and other similar agreements, subject to the state and federal statutes. A respectful approach here would be to honor the obligations of these agencies by NOT stampeding the area with 400+ bicycles in a concentrated, impactful way. Such actions fly in the face of what we are trying to do here, which is minimize impacts.

@Geoffrey Smith – When you say that the actions of mountain bikers fly in the face of “mimizing impacts” you’re really showing you know nothing about mountain bikers. You’re also the reason why there is a stiff resistance to such ignorance. You will rarely meet a mountain biker who doesn’t appreciate nature and it’s beauty. Bikers are usually the largest volunteer group in the park systems repairing damage created by erosion and fires….why would they do this? Just to jam numerous bikes through YOUR efforts? You’re missing the point and the opportunity. MTB’ers want a seat at the table to help create a trail system (not truck trails) that protects the parks ecosystems, showcases their beauty and provides an opportunity for generations to enjoy what we love to do. Use your ears and be part of the solution not part of an unnecessary resistance. There are numerous examples of success stories…..what’s not being said is that the D of F&W doesn’t trust MTRP’s staff to manage the asset. That’s the hard truth…work with the public and take input….you work for us.

Geoffrey obviously thought we were planning to ride the singletrack trails that are off limits. That is not the case. We only rode the main paved road through the park and the grasslands loop trail which is a fire road. If you really want to see a stampede take a hike up Cowles mountain. Hundreds of hikers, runners and dog walkers.

I generally don’t get involved with any kind of protest stuff, but a bunch of my friends and I will definitely be there and I encourage everyone who enjoys the outdoors – trail runners, hikers, and mountain bikers alike – to join us. This is not a political thing – this is a freedom thing. What kind of country do we live in if we can’t even take a non-carbon emitting 30 pound 2-wheeled vehicle (i.e., your typical full suspension mountain bike) into the country for a bike ride – OR – take your own two feet and go for a walk or a run in the country? Seriously? If you have been through this area, there are extremely wide (and new) fire roads that were constructed which have destroyed more land than the hiking and mountain bike trails have (these new roads can be seen from the aerial shot in this story – how many single track mountain biking and hiking trails do you see?). One of the completely over the top accusations is that mountain bikers are “outlaws.” Excuse me? Ever priced out a moderately equipped mountain bike? These bikes are often owned by wealthy and middle class riders who are involved with the biotech and healthcare industries who enjoy the outdoors immensely and who are wonderful stewards of the environment. As several other areas of the country have noticed, having a strong mountain bike draw is major boost to the local economy. So if you are reading this, PLEASE consider joining us to show your concern and have your voice heard!

Sadly the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is missing the big picture here, one where the people of San Diego who ride bikes in these areas are the best stewards of these areas!

In addition, in context to the closure of these particular trails and the damage caused by them by mountain bikers and hikers. I would like to understand who is responsible for fixing the damage done to this area by the 20′ wide fire breaks and the subsequent massive scale erosion caused by them.

To be fair, most of these trails have existed for over 10 years. Most of the so called illegal trail building has simply been improvements on trails that already existed and were created by hikers and animals. Lets also note that this land was once used for artillery and tank training. I don’t hear anyone complaining about the expansion of the landfill which is right next to this area. We have lost literally hundreds of miles of trails in San Diego over the past 5 years. Del Mar Mesa, gone. Lower Sycamore Canyon, closed. Flightline, bulldozed.